Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
TOUGHING
Verb
toughing
present participle of tough
Source: Wiktionary
TOUGH
Tough, a. [Compar. Tougher; superl. Toughest.] Etym: [OE. tough, AS. toh, akin to D. taai, LG. taa, tage, tau, OHG. zahi, G. zähe, and also to AS. getenge near to, close to, oppressive, OS. bitengi.]
1. Having the quality of flexibility without brittleness; yielding to force without breaking; capable of resisting great strain; as, the ligaments of animals are remarkably tough. "Tough roots and stubs. " Milton.
2. Not easily broken; able to endure hardship; firm; strong; as, tough sinews. Cowper. A body made of brass, the crone demands, . . . Tough to the last, and with no toil to tire. Dryden. The basis of his character was caution combined with tough tenacity of purpose. J. A. Symonds.
3. Not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as, tough phlegm.
4. Stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow. So tough a frame she could not bend. Dryden.
5. Severe; violent; as, a tough storm. [Colloq.] " A tough debate. " Fuller. To make it tough, to make it a matter of difficulty; to make it a hard matter. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
16 May 2025
AMPHIPROSTYLAR
(adjective) marked by columniation having free columns in porticoes either at both ends or at both sides of a structure
Coffee Trivia
